She'd only need a few, just enough to knock him unconscious...or herself. The thought was quickly followed by the chastising voice of her mother, "Nessa, child, nothing is more valuable than life. It's the one thing that when it's taken away, can't be given back. You remember that, my little dove. There comes a time when everyone has to make that choice, Nessa, to give or take life. I want you to promise me something right now, before I teach you anything more, that you will never take life, never even if your own life depended on it." Vanessa had been a child of seven years old when her mother had made her make that promise, and now, fifteen years later it looked as though she would have to make that choice. Five would make him violently ill, seven to eight would knock him unconscious...but ten could kill him. She opened her palm and counted how many she'd removed while she'd thought things through.
Ten...exactly ten berries. She swallowed, closed her fingers around the spoils and leaned away from the plant.
Ten could kill him...and she could get away clean.
Ten could kill him...and she and Adam would be able to go away from here safely...if Adam was okay.
Ten could kill him...and leave an innocent child fatherless.
There it was, her choice. Could she do this? Could she break a promise to her mother made all those years ago, before she even knew what love was...or that she loved Adam Cartwright. Adam...her breath caught in her throat as she remembered the last sight she had of her husband. She leaned her head back on the headstone, hands in her lap and berries spilling onto her skirt. Her husband could be dead for all she knew, she didn't even know what day it was or how long she'd been kept away from the world.
In a mausoleum.
The thought made her shiver all over and she shook her head to clear it. Night had set it now, and she was sure her voice would carry. But she had to calm down, had to think straight. She started humming first, then as the song continued she opened her mouth, and sang softly, her voice growing stronger as it came to an end. There was a breeze that disturbed the leaves of the oak in the distance, but nothing else that she could decipher.
So she began again, her father's lullaby.
----------
It was getting darker, and the men had to get down from their horses for fear of stepping in a hole. It felt as though there was a definite change in the air when they entered the cemetery, but Adam shook it off as the normal shivers one got from walking into such a revered place. After all, people were laid to their final rest here. He just hoped that his new wife wasn't one of them. Tying their horses off near a tree, Black Arrow led them deeper into the darkening graveyard, and Adam lifted his head as a sound caressed his ears.
"Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby."
His ears perked, just like his horse's, and he glanced at Arrow, "Did you hear that?" Arrow glanced around them, "Sounds a fair ways off, she must be on the other side of this." he kicked his foot on the ground. "Let's move!" Adam said, gripping his gun tight and stalking forward. It was slow going, the breeze was working against them, and carried her soft voice away. They had to stop when they couldn't hear her anymore, and it grated on Adam's nerves like nothing he'd experienced before. He should have been happy that she was singing, it at least meant that she was okay, not to terribly injured...or maybe she was, and this was the only way she could have someone find her. The breeze died down and there she was again, "Where troubles melt like lemon drops, a way above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me." Adam pointed to the mausoleums, and Arrow nodded. "We'd best split up to find her better." Arrow suggested, and the two Cartwrights agreed.
Adam went left, making a wide circle towards a tall oak tree that he could just make out in the waning moonlight. Ben went right, taking careful steps to weave through the burial sites. Arrow continued forward, kneeling to grab his throwing knife from its sheath, and kept low to the ground, his Paiute upbringing kicking in.
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Vanessa stopped singing, she heard footsteps coming closer. In the almost blackness of the cemetery, she couldn't tell if they were friendly or not. The berries in her lap weighed heavy against her thighs, reminding her of the decision she still hadn't quite made. The footsteps stopped, as though they'd been listening to her voice. 'Stupid!' she harassed herself, quickly getting to her feet, gripping the berries into a loose fist. 'You've led him right to you!'
"You know, Vanessa. You're a very hard woman to find." Ranger grit his teeth and walked forward, his gun drawn and pointed at the witches chest. One hand was tightened into a fist, and he brought up his other hand for it. "What's that you've got there?"
This was it, what she said next would keep or break her promise to her mother.
She looked down at her fist, opened it and offered it palm up to him, "I got hungry, I haven't eaten in so long..." he looked hard at her palm, but couldn't quite tell what they were. His stomach growled, and he stepped forward, reaching for the berries in her hand. "Well, if you've eaten them, then I suppose they're alright." She fought hard to keep her face calm as he removed every last berry from her hand, and stuffed them all in his mouth.
But she couldn't help the roiling that started in her stomach.
A few moments passed, with the two of them just standing there. Vanessa was watching the gun in his hand, never wavering, while Ranger watched the witch standing before him, her chest rising and falling as though she was expecting something...something...
Something was happening to him. His gut felt as though he'd swallowed a rock, and was rejecting it. He swallowed a few times, but it only made it worse, and soon he found himself doubled over, retching. His body was shaking feverishly, and he fell to the ground. "You....you did this!" he growled, struggling to his feet. She backed away slowly, her eyes wide with fear. He retched again and hit his knees hard, "You...you witch!" his voice rose, but he couldn't see anything. His hands flew to his face, and he waved them in front of his eyes, "Blind...I'm blind!"
Ranger was crawling towards her, but she moved quicker, staying just out of his reach. "Witch!" he shouted, though at this point it was more of a hoarse whisper, "Witch, you've killed me!" he fell forward, one hand outstretched for her skirt. She clutched her skirt up in her hands, her breath coming fast and her heart pounding. She couldn't stand any longer, and fell to her knees, taking deep gasping breaths as tears poured down her cheeks.
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Adam was only a few yards away from the oak when she stopped singing, and he had to stop moving himself. 'Damn it, girl! Say something...anything.' he thought angrily, adjusting his grip on the gun in his hand. Then he heard voices...A man's...then Nessa gave a strangled cry. He hedged forward, reaching the oak tree and leaned against it with his good shoulder. All this moving around couldn't be good for him, but he had to get Vanessa back safe.
Then he'd lay around and heal.
The men had found the mausoleums, one of which had the door swung wide open. Arrow had snuck inside, then emerged quickly, his face grim. "What is it?" Ben asked, his eyes sweeping the area around them. Arrow spat, something he never did, and growled angrily, "It's a regular old mausoleum, but inside there are a set of shackles bolted into the far wall. Vanessa was here alright." Ben drew a breath, "But where is she now?" Vanessa's voice echoed across the graveyard, getting the attention of both Arrow and Ben, and Arrow pointed towards the sound, "I'd say that answers your question."
----------
Adam holstered his gun, and walked quickly forward to his sobbing wife. He dropped to his knees next to her, and wrapped his good arm around her, "Nessa..." she shuddered and looked up at him, "Adam?" she brought a hand up to his face, "Adam, tell me my eyes aren't playing tricks on me." he brought his injured arm forward, putting a finger under her chin and kissed her passionately. His arm across her back tightened, and she gasped in agony. "Ugh." she pulled away from him, wincing as she moved.
Ben and Arrow arrived as Adam shifted her around, and looked at her face. "Nessa, what happened?" She was still sobbing, trying hard to get control over herself, "I...he..." Adam didn't need to hear any more and released his grip on her chin. Just pulled her in close and held her as tight as he could without hurting her. Nessa buried her head in his good shoulder, her back quivering as she continued to weep. Arrow went to the body before the couple, and knelt to check for life. His black eyes flicked to Adam, who was watching him closely. "He's dead..." Vanessa shuddered and kept on crying, but Adam, in his cold, hard logic, lifted her chin again and looked into her eyes. "Nessa, tell me what happened."
She swallowed hard, and shook her head, "I broke a promise." Arrow sucked in his breath through his teeth, making the two male Cartwrights look at him. "What is it?" Ben asked the man, but it was Vanessa that spoke, "Belladonna." Both Adam and Ben were confused, and Arrow explained, "Belladonna berries! You gave this man Belladonna berries?!" He was in shock, Vanessa....his little sister gave a man something that she knew would kill him? Vanessa looked so sad, her eyes turning a very silver grey, "Arrow...I...I had no choice...he was...he was going to...I thought...I thought he'd killed..." she buried her head again into Adam's shoulder and continued to weep.
Adam gave Arrow a fierce glare, "What's belladonna?" he asked, helping Vanessa stand. She wrapped her arms around his waist, turning her back to Arrow and the body on the ground. Arrow watched Vanessa's back for a moment then spoke. "You'd better know it as Deadly Nightshade." Ben drew a sharp breath, his eyes roving to his daughter in law, "Let's get her out of here." he said to his son, and waited as Adam walked Vanessa towards him.
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It was almost dawn by the time they reached Aunt Sarah's, and Vanessa was nestled against Arrow's chest as they rode into the back corral. Adam was right behind him, reining in his own rented horse and dismounting before Vanessa could even think about moving. He may have lost the argument about having ride with him, but he wasn't about to let anyone else walk her inside. Vanessa slipped from Titan's back, her arms wrapping again around Adam's waist. She didn't want to let him go...not for a good long time. The back door banged open, revealing Sarah and Elizabeth as they tore from the house to get to Vanessa. "Vanessa! Oh, Vanessa darling." Sarah cooed, grabbing Vanessa up into a tight hug. "I'm fine, Aunt Sarah..." she grunted as Sarah's hands ran over her sore back muscles. Sarah grabbed her nieces hands and stared at the bandaged wrists, "Alright my fanny, Nessa. You're bleeding!" Nessa shook her head, "It's nothing Sarah. I just need to..." she stumbled, and Adam was quick to grip her waist. "She needs to lay down, Widow Governs." Sarah nodded and took Vanessa's hand, leading her inside.
They barely made it to the small kitchen table before Vanessa stumbled again, and collapsed onto one of the wooden chairs. Elizabeth hustled around the kitchen, pouring a dried mix of something into a pot of water she had simmering on the fire, and pushed it deeper into the flames to get it boiling. "Vanessa you stay right there, chamomile right?" Vanessa nodded absently, letting Sarah untie the bandages on her wrists. Adam sat across from Vanessa, his eyes glued to what Sarah was doing. Here in the harsh lamplight of the kitchen, Vanessa was sure it would look a lot worse than it was, but when the last wrap fell away, even she couldn't stop the hiss that escaped her lips.
The skin had been rubbed clean away, blood having come and dried over the scabs several times. The fresh wound on her right wrist was still raw, and when the air hit it, she instinctively flinched. Sarah tightened her grip on her hand and looked into her niece's face, "Nessa, dear. Where's that rinse you use?" Vanessa closed her eyes, "It's in the right cupboard. In a glass jar." Sarah nodded to Elizabeth, who brought over a glass of the tea she'd been brewing while Sarah stood to retrieve the rinse. Vanessa swallowed the tea greedily and handed the glass back to Elizabeth, "Add two spoonfuls of cinnamon then stir it fast, just be careful to not let any spill." It sounded mechanical, as though it was something she always had said to Elizabeth. The girl smiled, and set another full glass next to her cousin, "I already did."
Sarah sat back down next to her niece, the jar now in one hand and an empty bowl in the other. "Alright, Vanessa. Let me see those wrists of yours." Vanessa bit her lip, and glanced at Adam. "I don't think you're going to want to be in here." Sarah said, watching her nieces gaze. Adam shook his head, and moved to sit on the other side of Vanessa, "I'm not letting her out of my sight, not yet." He wanted to hold her hand, but the injuries on her wrists stopped him. It made his blood boil to think that Ranger had done this to his wife, tied her up and kept her in a house of the dead. His father had told him how they had found the shackles in the mausoleum, and how Arrow had no doubt that that was where he had been keeping Vanessa.
Sarah gently lifted one of Vanessa's wrists over the bowl, and the girl lifted the other, "Just get it over and done with, Aunt Sarah." she said, her voice hollow. Sarah opened the jar, and was about to pour it over Vanessa's skin when she stopped and said, "This is..."
"Gonna hurt like hell." Vanessa finished, biting down on her lip. Sarah smiled grimly and poured the fluid over the open wounds. Vanessa stiffened as the liquid hit her skin, then relaxed a bit when it stopped. She watched her aunt pick up the soft rag she'd brought with her, and soak it in the rinse before dabbing a corner of it on the red skin. Vanessa's jaw clenched, the her eyes closed tight. Her breath was coming quick and Adam could tell that she was trying hard to not cry out in pain. He scooted his chair closer and place his good hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her. She looked over at him, anything to take her concentration off from what was happening to her wrists. Sarah looked up from her ministrations, took a quick second to think, then said, "Kiss her Adam." Adam glanced around Vanessa to the older woman, "What good will that do?" Sarah smirked, and lifted the half full jar into his line of sight, "I've got to finish washing these wounds of hers, and now that most of the loose skin is gone, she's going to need something to distract her."
Adam glanced up at his father and Arrow, who moved out of the kitchen to give them at least that much privacy. Elizabeth remained by the fire, her back now turned to them as she busied herself with what was left of the tea. His gaze returned to Vanessa, who was now staring at his open shirt, then crooked a finger under her chin, raising her face and lowered his lips to hers.
It was the same sweetness from before, but it was tempered by the salt of her tears. He brought a hand around her neck, cradling it in a gentle grip, his fingers gathering the loose strands and pulled her head back, opening her mouth further to him. He could tell she was just beginning to enjoy it, he himself was having trouble not pulling her tight against his body and holding her there for the rest of eternity, but the pain in his left shoulder and the fact that when he'd grabbed her earlier she'd cried out, made him stop.
Then Sarah poured the rinse.
The spell was broken, Vanessa let out a muffled scream into his mouth and pulled her head away from him, painful tears rolling down her cheeks. Vanessa took shaky breaths trying to stop her lips from trembling and ignore the pain in her wrists. When Sarah stopped the liquid, Vanessa drew a deep breath, and looked to her aunt, "Aunt Sarah, if I ever suggest using that on anyone else again, shoot me." Sarah smiled and stood, wrapping her arms around her niece's shoulders, "Oh Nessa, sweetheart." Before Sarah lost herself in mothering her, Vanessa opened her mouth, "Lizzie, I'm gonna need some fresh wrappings for these wrists of mine." As Elizabeth began to move around behind her, Vanessa looked at her aunt, "That garlic mash I made last week, it should still be good. It's in the gray..." Sarah waved her down, "I know where it is. What are you thinking about?" she asked, standing to grab the container Vanessa needed. Elizabeth brought the strips of cloth and set them on the table next to Adam. Vanessa looked at him, a serious look on her face, "Now, get those wrappings good and soaked in that mash, then help Aunt here get them tied back around these." she lifted her wrists slightly as she spoke.
Sarah brought another bowl with her, and dumped all of the garlic mash into it. Sarah looked at Adam, and smiled gently, "I'd suggest you do as your told boy. Your Vanessa knows her stuff." Vanessa smirked, but it was an empty one. There was a hollow look in her eyes, a hollow sound to her voice, and when he'd kissed her she'd attacked him like a drowning woman. He knew that feeling...he'd had it the first time he'd had to draw against someone. His girl wasn't so innocent anymore, not now that she'd had to kill someone. As Adam dunked the wrappings, he set his jaw and handed them to Sarah, who began wrapping Vanessa's wrists. She started below the raw sections of skin, and continued up and over her thumb then continued back down. Once Nessa was satisfied with them, she nodded to Sarah and placed her hands in her lap, making sure she could still move her fingers.
Elizabeth set another warm glass of tea in front of her, but Nessa made no move to touch it. Elizabeth patted her shoulder then kissed her gently on the top of her head, "Good-night, Nessa. You get some sleep." Elizabeth waited for Nessa to return her squeeze, but instead the older cousin just sat in her chair flanked by her husband and staring at the table in front of her. Adam put a hand on Vanessa's thigh, and whispered, "Come on...let's get some sleep." Vanessa shook her head, "If I close my eyes all I'm going to see is his body, convulsing on the ground in front of me." She stood suddenly and went to one of the large windows that Sarah had overlooking the porch and back yard. She crossed her arms, wincing at the sharp pain in her wrists as she did so. She heard Adam blow out his breath, then come to stand behind her, putting his good arm around her shoulders, "Nessa..." she shook her head, "No, Adam." she sighed and looked up at him, putting a hand on his chest, "You go on up, I'll be in in a few moments. My...our room's the third door on the left." She tilted her head towards the door and tried to smile at him.
For the first time in two years, she knew it didn't reach her eyes.
He moved his hand to stroke her cheek with his fingers, "Don't you be lying to me." her lips curled again, but it wasn't a smile...it wasn't even a smirk. Adam lifted the corner of his mouth, trying to give her some hope that it wasn't all going to be that bad, then left her alone with her thoughts.
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Black Arrow watched as Adam headed down the hall for the room he knew belonged to Vanessa, then left his guest room to go back to his sister. As his foot hit the third step from the bottom, he heard a great squeak as the wood bent beneath his weight. Shaking his head, Arrow kept moving and made his way into the kitchen. Vanessa had moved to sitting before the great fire, now not much more than embers. The lamp had been blown out and she sat in relative darkness. Arrow shook his head, grabbed a chair and plopped down next to her, straddling the back as he watched her.
She swallowed, then spoke, "I've done something terrible, Arrow. I don't think you can make it right like you have before." Arrow didn't answer, he more than anyone, maybe even that new husband of hers, knew that when Vanessa got into one of these melancholies, the best thing to do was let her talk it out. She sighed, "When I was maybe seven years old, no more than eight, my mother began teaching me about these herbs." she glanced at her wrists and continued, "She'd told me about the differences in telling which one should stew, simmer into a tea, make into a mash or paste when I asked her if there were any that could kill." She leaned forward on her elbows, "Before she told me anything, she made me promise to never use my knowledge to take a life. Never...not even if my life depended on it. Life's the one gift that can't be given back once it's taken away, she said. All her life long, my mother helped bring lives into this world, help the passing of those leaving and continue the lives of those injured, and as far as I know she never had to make the choice I did tonight." she dropped her head and let the tears roll again, "I killed a man tonight...a man with a four year old boy."
As she drew a shuddering breath, Arrow reached out and put a hand on her back, "Vanessa, the name of that man that took you, was it Kirkpatrick?" she nodded, wiping her face. Arrow nodded and continued, "There's something I need to show you." he gripped her arm and lifted to her feet. She looked up at him, confused. "What are you..." she didn't get a chance to finish the sentence as he led her down the back steps and out to where Titan waited. He lifted her onto the saddle, then threw himself up behind her. "Where are we going?" she asked, but he just put an arm around her to steady her then nudged the great animal into a full gallop.
They tore off through side roads, avoiding any crowds he saw in the distance, and before too long were again outside the graveyard. Arrow felt her shiver next to him, "I knew there was a reason why I hated cemeteries." she muttered, absently rubbing at her wrists. He chuckled then cussed Titan forward, and the horse picked his way through to the great family mausoleums at the back of the cemetery. Vanessa looked around her, half hoping to see Rangers dead body lying on the ground again, just to prove to herself that it wasn't the bad dream the other half of her prayed it all was. Ranger stopped Titan's movement, and looked at the great building they were sitting in front of. "Look." he pointed to the top of the doorway, and Vanessa gasped.
Kirkpatrick
"This is where he kept you for the last two days." Arrow dismounted and turned back to her, "Now I'm gonna ask you to come inside with me. Think you can do that?" Vanessa looked again at the name above the door, then nodded slowly. She braced her hands against his shoulders and let him lift her down. Arrow took her hand and led her into the building, letting her pause at the doorway. He watched her take a deep breath and step inside, closing her eyes as the cool darkness washed over her. She fought down memories, memories of being dragged in here, her heart racing and tears flowing as she tried to remember if Adam had moved at all, terrified that he hadn't and that he had died as she was being taken bodily away from him. Arrow took her hand, and whispered, "I'm right here. You'll be alright." She opened her eyes, and nodded to him, taking up the remains of her skirt and followed him.
There, about half way up the far wall were the shackles that had held her, but just above them was a name and the dates of birth and death....
Gabrielle Kirkpatrick
but it wasn't that name that caught Vanessa's attention. Beside Gabrielle's resting place was another, smaller plaque, inscribed with a name she'd thought wouldn't be here for a long time.
Matthew Kirkpatrick
Arrow watched her walk forward and run her fingers over the indentations of the letters, "He died when his mother did, of that same fever." She looked over her shoulder at him, "Then all this time...whenever he talked about Matthew..." Arrow nodded, "He was making it up." He walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "So you see, you didn't orphan anyone. You simply allowed a very sick and troubled man meet his maker that much sooner." She shook her head, "I shouldn't have done it. I should have told him what those berries were. It's different when you draw a weapon on a man. He know what danger he's in, but with me..." Arrow pulled her into a tight hug, "Now stop that." he grumbled, "Don't you dare start working yourself up over a man that isn't worth half the one you married." Vanessa looked up at him, "But I..." he put a finger over her lips, "I'm your older brother ain't I?" she nodded, "Alright then. If I'm your older brother and I say you didn't kill nobody for no good reason, then you didn't, right?" She nodded again, but the look in her eyes made him rethink what he'd just said.
He sighed, "Come on. Let's get you into that bed of yours and then I'm going to make sure that you and your man get home to that Ponderosa you told me so much about." She smiled then, but that hollow look was still in her eyes. He walked her back outside, and was about to put her up on Titan again when a voice came from the next mausoleum over.
"Jenny! Oh Jenny I've got some of the best news! You know that Ranger Kirkpatrick that you used to run around with? Well someone's gone and given him his comeuppance! Yes, Jenny, that's right, the man that murdered you has finally meet his match, and is dancing with the devil as we speak." Vanessa looked up at Arrow, and the great man smiled at her, "There's lots you didn't know about that man, Nessa. A whole lot." He hefted her up into the saddle, and climbed up behind her. "Like I said, you need some sleep."
Vanessa grabbed his arms as they slid around her, and she whispered, "Thank you, Arrow. Thank you so much." She leaned against him, and let him take her back to Sarah's house.
----------
They were going to take the train to St. Louis then the stage lines back to Virginia City. It was a trek that would take about two weeks but Adam knew that those two weeks would feel so much longer. Vanessa watched as Ben and Arrow helped load their luggage onto the train. She wore a deep green travel dress with white lace that framed her shoulders, Sarah had convinced her to pile her hair up on her head, and tied a hat over it. She looked the vision in that color, and she knew that Adam was having trouble keeping his eyes off from her. She stood close to him, letting his newly freed arm wind its way around her waist and pull her against him. Adam lowered his mouth to her ear, "Are you happy?" She smiled, a genuine smile that lit up her whole face. "Why shouldn't I be? I'm headed back home." He grinned, "Now wait a minute here, isn't there something you're forgetting?" She put a finger to her pursed lips, and raised an eyebrow, "Well yes, there does seem to be a few things..." She pointed to Ben as he walked over to them, "That man there's now my father in law and he's got two great boys that are now my brothers. And he's got this big ranch, you see, and I can't wait to get on my horse and see the shore of Lake Tahoe again." Adam's smile faltered and he put his hands on his hips, "Anything else?" She smiled again, and turned to face him, "No...I don't think so..." she giggled as he fake glared at her, and squealed as he grabbed her up into a tight twirling hug, "Now you listen here, Mrs Cartwright..." he began, but stopped as his father got closer, his own boisterous laugh booming across the almost empty platform.
"Now, Adam. You too aren't going to go back to fighting each other are you?" Vanessa laughed heartily and laid her head against Adam's chest, "Oh no, Ben. Not when I've finally won the argument!" All three of them laughed as the trains whistle blew and the conductor began taking tickets. Ben walked away as Sarah and Elizabeth came forward to say their good-byes to Vanessa. "Oh my little Nessa." Sarah bawled, gripping the girl into a tight hug. "Now you take care of yourself out there, I don't want to see you on my front stoop crying your eyes out again." Vanessa smiled and stepped back from the older woman, "Thank you, Aunt Sarah. For everything." she wiped a tear from the woman's cheek, "Especially for writing this big oaf about my being here." Sarah's eyes widened innocently, "Now where did you get an idea like that?" Adam chuckled behind his wife, "She, uh, made me tell her." Sarah's eyes twinkled, "Well then, I'm glad you're happy about it." Vanessa smile seemed to brighten and she hugged her aunt again, "I am...so very much." Sarah stepped back and let Elizabeth come forward.
"Lizzie." Vanessa whispered, bringing the youth into her shoulder, "You remember what I taught you now, about those teas and things." Elizabeth nodded and smiled, "I'm going to miss you, Nessa." Vanessa hugged the girl tightly, "Alright now, don't you start, otherwise I'm going to cry myself." It was a tough battle that Elizabeth was losing, and Vanessa knew it. Shaking her head, she pushed to girl a ways a way and put her hands on her shoulders, "Now you listen me real good, Lizzie. I'm going to make you a deal, and I want you to take it." Elizabeth nodded, "Alright then...what is it?" Vanessa took a deep breath, "Come with me." Elizabeth took a sudden breath, "What?"
Adam shook his head, "I told you she wouldn't do it." Vanessa didn't break eye contact with her cousin, "I mean it, Lizzie. But there's one thing with it too. My best friend, Faith, she's living with her husband on that ranch that I once owned, I gave it to her and her husband as a wedding present. Anyway, she's expecting her first baby this winter, and I don't think I'm going to be able to go help her, and the last person alive I'd trust with Faith's baby is that doctor in Johnston." she glanced behind her at her husband then looked back at her cousin, "I want you to do me a favor. Go with me and then continue on to the Summerset ranch in California. I need you to be with her, Lizzie. Use that know how I taught you and help her as much as you can."
Elizabeth's face wrinkled, "But I haven't even packed anything." Vanessa smiled, "Why do you think I have four trunks going with me? I only had enough to fill two." the younger girls face brightened, and she ran to her aunt, "Oh, Aunt Sarah, did you hear?" Sarah was nodding before Elizabeth got to her, and the girl nearly yelped herself right off onto the tracks. "Now you get up on that train, you hear me?" Sarah swatted at Elizabeth's behind, and the girl climbed up next to Ben.
"Come on you two, or you're going to be left behind!" he shouted, making the two newlyweds move. Adam climbed on first, helping Vanessa. The train started to pull away from the station, and Vanessa waved farewell to her aunt.
Sarah waited until the train was out of sight before she turned to talk to the other woman that had come to see Vanessa and her family off. "Well Maria, they're gone...My last two projects. Now what am I going to do?" Maria, dressed in a black blouse and navy skirt, crossed her arms and smiled at the older woman, "Well...there are a few girls that I can't bring myself to bring into my house...maybe they could stay with you. Learn to become real ladies?" Sarah smiled, and took Maria by the arm and walked with her to the waiting buggy, "Maria, I think I just might be able to do that for you."